


Call It Fate (The Office AU)

by stevesbluewhore



Category: The Office (US)
Genre: Angst, Cheating, Co-workers, F/M, Flirting, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:20:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28682439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stevesbluewhore/pseuds/stevesbluewhore
Summary: While balancing her new job and her life with Roy, she loses herself to her inner thoughts. After spending month of highs and lows between the two people she cares about the most, she must make a decision. Will she close the door on the past for something new? Or will she take the infamous Beesly route, which is only what's familiar and comfortable?
Relationships: Pam Beesly/Jim Halpert
Kudos: 6





	Call It Fate (The Office AU)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! If you've stumbled across this, welcome! This is my second fanfic, so corrections, tips, or ideas are welcome:) As time goes on, I hope to establish a writing schedule, and making more stories. Anyways, enjoy!

"I just don't know how long I'll be able to stick around" She worried her lip while mindlessly flipping through the mail. A secretary? It wasn't exactly her dream job, and she barely got through the interview. 

She remembered sinking into the couch beside the secretary desk, scanning the room while she waited. She could hear the boss laugh loudly while in his office, most likely on a phone call. The clicking of mouses and keyboards filled the room, along with three rings from a phone call before being picked up by a salesman and answered with a company greeting. The cluster of desks in front of her were empty, save for one man, who wore a light blue shirt and had a messy brown mop of hair. He looked young, lazily leaning back in his chair, fiddling with a pencil. He nearly caught her eye, before she quickly looked into her potential future boss's office. By now he had noticed her, and got up hurriedly and made his way out. 

"Finally some eye candy! Don't jump on her all at once. Oh, but ignore Jim, I don't think he's into women." He snorted, but no one else thought it was funny. Eyes wide, she searched the room for any help, but only received a blank stare from a man who sat in the back. She had heard him answer a call when she first entered, remembering that his name was Stanley. 

The man he referred to as Jim, shrugged and mouthed "good luck". She was taken aback by the way he grinned at her, managing a small smile before entering his office. Once away from everyone, he was more tame, save for the odd annoying commentary. 

"So how did you hear about Dunder Mifflin?" The only work related question he's asked so far

"Actually my fiance works in the warehouse."

"Fiance? Well that's too bad." His smile fell, and for a second she wondered if he wouldn't hire her because of this.

"Yeah well, not married yet." She internally cringed as she forced a laugh, leaning closer to his desk. 

"Aha! Well I'd love to hire you, just as long you two won't be sneaking away to do it." This time she actually laughed 'won't have to worry about that'

They went over her resume, and as time went on, she felt more relaxed and confident with her answers. Luckily she was well qualified, due to her experience at her last job. She made sure to slip in a few jokes, and laugh at whatever crude thing Michael had said. Finally, he shook her hand, holding it for what seemed like too long, and told her he couldn't wait for her to start. 

She left with a smile on her face, only to be stopped by a odd looking man. He had a square face, with square glasses, and his face was scrunched up with scrutiny. He lacked any concept of personal boundaries, standing barely a foot away from her. His large and tall frame looked over her small figure, struggling to make eye contact with his piercing gaze. All excitement she had momentarily vanished.

"Don't act innocent. You think you've successfully infiltrated Dunder Mifflin, but I'm onto you. Within a week I'll have you and your men defeated." He stared intensely into her eyes. 

She looked at Jim confusedly, opening her mouth to object, but found herself speechless. He stood up beside him, whispering loud enough for her to hear,

"Dwight, you're doing exactly what they want. Don't. Let. Them. Get. Under. Your. Skin." He snuck a wink at her, and finally she understood.

"Excuse me miss, this is for you." The woman at the secretary desk handed her a sticky note which wrote,

You're mission has been compromised. Retreat! P.S. Congrats on the job:)

She feigned worry when she really wanted to thank Jim for the note, but also wanted to continue whatever prank he was pulling. 

"I must leave. I'll... be back-" She had to turn and rush out the door before she could laugh. Her face felt warm, looking forward to next week. It was a strange, yet welcoming feeling to be included in something, before she even got to know any of them. Perhaps it will all work out. In the meantime, she had other things to worry about. 

Putting the mail down, she watched Roy slouched over on the couch, holding a 'pre-game beer' but the game wasn't on until several hours.

He scratched his stubble before replying to her."It's only temporary, until I get a raise." 

He checked his watch, "But all I'm saying is that we'd be fine if you took a break with your painting classes." He said shortly. 

This was a touchy subject for the both of them. But at this point, Pam learned to nod and continue with something else. She absently started playing with the mail again. 

"The boss is quite a handful. Y'know the last secretary left because he made too many comments while she was pregnant." She attempted at some gossip. It really wasn't her thing, but she overheard it while she was waiting for her interview.

"At least that won't be a problem for us." He took a swig, her heart clenching a little. She knew he didn't want kids, but she always held a little bit of hope that he would change his mind. She stopped taking her birth control a long time ago, since they were also having very little to no sex. A part of her would hope that she'd get pregnant, and then have an excuse to push harder on getting married sooner. She felt herself frowning, and Roy sighed heavily.

"C'mon Pammy. We'll be working in the same building, and possibly even have lunch together." He mistook her mood as further apprehension to working. 

"Maybe we'll have enough money for a wedding." She wanted to take back the words as soon as she said it, but sometimes she couldn't help but see how far she could go before he snapped at her.

"We'll cross that bridge we get to it."He grunted. 

"But-" it's been two years, she wanted to say before he interrupted.

"The boys want me to head over early. I told Darryl I'd take a look at his truck."

She nodded silently, taking his now empty beer and putting it in the kitchen. Her hands clenched onto the counters edge, trying to fight tears from spilling over. She heard the front door lock, her shoulders falling. 

Spending the next hour cleaning, she spent half of it thinking about Jim and Dwight, as well as how she can get a wedding date out of Roy. She picked up his discarded shirts off the ground, remembering the goofy grin Jim gave her after seeing that she was willing to play along. It had been a long time since she felt included in something, and being in a group like that gave her a glimmer of hope that it wouldn't be too bad. 

A week went by faster than she thought it would, scrambling to get some painting sold so she could buy some work clothes for herself. She realized tht most of hers were stained with paint, or way too old to be worn professionally. She managed to scrape together enough money to buy a weeks worth of blouses, and a few cardigans and scarves if she had to wear them a day longer. Her favourite was the light pink one, as well as the pink and white stripped blouse. They were all subtle in colour, but it made her excited. She felt like a school girl again, picking her outfit for her first day. She chastised herself a little, it was just a secretary job for a small paper company. It's not like she had anyone to impress...

Roy was watching TV when she walked in, eyeing the shopping bag she was holding.

"I used my painting money." 

"Looks like a lot."

"They're all from the second-hand store. And I have nothing else so it kinda has to be." At this point she was exhausted, and not able to handle Roy's commentary. 

"Speaking of painting-"

"My last class is this week." She had called in earlier this morning, asking to cancel her payments except for thursday nights class. She hauled everything to their room, spilling the contents on the bed for her to wash and later hang up to dry. Roy followed her in. 

"They're doing a get-together at work Thursday night. I think you should come."

"I already payed for it, Roy." 

"Alright." She could see him lean on the doorway out the corner of her eye, meaning he had something else to say.

"Listen, I just got to do some more touch-ups on the truck. I'll be back around 10." She refrained from rolling her eyes, but she wasn't surprised. 

"Can you pick up some milk on your way out?"

"If I remember then maybe." He was already shrugging on his jacket and out the door before she could complain. She knew he wouldn't, so she threw the clothes in the laundry basket before getting her coat on. 

She'd have to walk, but since it wasn't far and the weather was nice she didn't mind. There was a corner-store a few blocks away that sold milk for a bit more, but it was better than nothing. 

She was sure her hair was a mess the second she walked into the store, the door jingling as it swung open. She was greeted with a friendly warmth as her senses were filled with spices. Her cheeks still stung from being outside, the wind picking up much more than it had earlier. She wrung her hands together, grabbing a basket. She spotted a familiar mop of hair a few aisles down, making her way over. The second she peaked around the corner, he looked over and grinned.

"Hey! How's it going?" His energy was contagious, feeling herself grow just as excited.

"I'm alright. Find anything good?" She gestured towards the shelf lamely. She was a little awkward when it came to socializing, but her worries were pushed out the window when he gave a small laugh.

"Well that's the problem. I can't seem to decide which one I want." He gestured at the entire aisle dedicated to candy.

"Hmm. These are personally my favourite." She pointed to the tropical mix of jelly beans.

"But these are just as good." It was an assortment of gummy worms, bears and fruits. 

"Can't go wrong with these." He nodded approvingly. 

"Thanks..." He trailed off, she paused a second before realizing he didn't know her name.

"Oh! Pam. Pam Beesly." She kicked herself for the dorky way she introduced herself.

"Jim. Jim Halpert." He teased, but she knew it was a friendly jest. She shook her head and grinned, before he checked his watch.

"Oh shoot. I gotta head back. See you monday Beesly." He flashed a quick smile before turning around, leaving her with an odd feeling. She nearly forgot to get what she came for, her mind feeling as though it were somewhere else entirely. 

She arrived earlier than everyone else, wanting to get comfortable in her area, and figure out peoples names and where they sat. She knew Jim and Dwight sat in the cluster in front of her, Stanley and Phyllis behind them, Creed and Meredith to the right, and accounting beside her. Kevin, Oscar and Angela where beside her, separated by a partition. She drew a little map of each persons desk, memorizing their names when people started to trickle in. 

"Good morning." She greeted Phyllis, who smiled warmly. Her perfume stung her nose a little, causing her to sneeze.

"Bless you." Jim was standing there, arm resting on the top counter. The seat was a little lower than it was, so she had to look farther up than she would've if she were standing next to him. She beamed up at him, noticing that his cheeks were tinted pink from the cool early morning. 

"Thank you, and good morning." He reached into his bag, pulling out a glass jar with a ribbon tied around it.

"You might have to cut the ribbon off." He fiddled with the jar, suddenly shy.

"Are those the tropical jellybeans?"

"Yeah." He grinned.

"I went back later an bought a bag. Thought it might be a nice welcome gift on your first day."

"That's very kind of you." She undid the ribbon and placed the jar near the entrance.

"Well, good luck today." He tapped the counter and sat at his desk. Dwight was already making calls, phones were starting to ring and people started coming to her to ask for supplies and faxes. Her phone rang, wondering how she should answer it. 

"Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam." She panicked, but the greeting came out smoothly. A few hours passed, and she had already made little notes for herself, and got to know a little of everyone as they came to her desk. The only people who didn't fall for her attempt at small talk was a petite blonde lady named Angela, and Dwight. A little voice in her head thought that they would make a perfect couple. She smiled to herself, and started doodling a little comic of Angela and Dwight, when she heard her name being called.

"Hey, do you drink tea or coffee? And do you take any cream or sugar?" She grinned and looked over at Jim.

"Um, coffee. And both please."

"Coming right up." 

Just as he left, Michael walked up to her desk.

"Pamela, Pamela, Pamela," He said in a sing-song-y voice, "Any calls come in for me?"

"Nope. But there was an email this morning that said Jan was coming in later."

"Did she say for what?" Pam only shook her head.

"Oh, a booty call!" He exclaimed loudly. He chuckled, surveying the room for any acknowledgement. Everyone continued working, seemingly used to his antics. 

"Well, don't get jealous when she walks in., y'know women Pam." 

"Actually I'll be on my lunch break when she stops in, so..." 

He seemed to be a little disappointed at that, but luckily Jim came back with her coffee, causing Michael to wander off to accounting.

"When's your break?" Jim asked. 

"In half an hour." She checked her phone for any messages. Roy was supposed to go pick up food for them, and they would eat in the warehouse, but a new message came through.

'Sorry. Can't make it. Shipment across the city. Tmrw?'

'Sure' She texted back.

"Ah me too. Are you having lunch here? I usually eat in my car but if you want I can stick around and tell you all about the wonders of working at Dunder Mifflin." He crossed his arms and leaned on her desk, peering over the edge. He tilted his head to get a better look at her drawings, smiling crookedly when he realized most of them were of Dwight and Angela.

"Those look amazing, mind if I keep one?" Feeling a surge of pride, she pursed her lips to keep her from grinning like an idiot.

"Um, yeah of course! Pick any one you want." She felt nervous as he reached over to sift through the mini-comics, watching his hands delicately pick one up of Dwight and Angela drawn as a couple on a farm wearing stereotypical farm gear. 

"Also you don't have to- I don't want to interrupt your daily routine."

"Don't worry about it, I'll see you in the break room Beesly." He tapped his fingers on her desk as a goodbye, leaving her unable to concentrate until her lunch break. 

She collapsed into her chair with a huff. The last half hour felt like several, after she found out that the files had never been properly organized. There was also an influx of calls coming in from other companies inquiring about paper orders just before lunch. It was hectic, but she was glad that she was finally doing something. Jim had already sat down before her, eating what looked like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Pam pulled out her yogurt and granola, realizing now just how hungry she was. 

"So? What do you think of everything so far?" Jim inquired.

"Well," She paused to take a bite of her food, "much better than I expected. Almost everyone here is pretty nice."

"Oh yeah? Like who?" Jim tilted his head. She liked the way he did that. It was as if he were inviting her to say something that would lead into a joke. He had a mischievous energy around him, that seemed to rub off on her. 

"Oh y'know. Phyllis, Creed, and obviously Angela. I think we might have been separated at birth." Jim snorted. 

"Is that so? Why don't we invite her over here to join us?" He moved to look over his shoulder in Angela's direction, and in a moment of panic she grabbed onto him.

"No! She already hates me." Her eyes were wide in shock, but she felt herself laughing. Then she realized she was still holding onto Jim's arm, feeling his warmth through his shirt. She let go quickly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 

"I'm sure she'll warm up eventually. Everyone gets along pretty well. Just gotta watch out for Michael." Jim cleared his throat before picking up his sandwich again.

"Ugh I know. I was worried that he wasn't going to hire me after I told him I was engaged." Jim stopped chewing, and she froze, wondering why she felt panic after telling him.

"Oh, you're engaged?" 

"Um, yeah... For about two years now. He works in the warehouse. His name's Roy." She felt awkward now, stuffing her yogurt lid back into the container. 

"Hmm, yeah I've talked to him a few times." His expression was neutral, but the air had gone tense. 

"He's not that bad once you get to know him." She tried saying. She knew Roy could be stand-offish, and a borderline dick, but she didn't want to scare away her new friend. All worries were washed away when he laughed, and leaned back in his chair. He stretched, reaching up in the air, causing his shirt to ride up, exposing a little bit of skin. Her eyes darted down, and quickly back up. Suddenly it felt hot in the room, and her face grew warm. Standing up quickly, she gathered up her garbage and smiled awkwardly.

"I guess break is almost over, and I have a bunch of paper work to sort through."

"Yeah! Right, better get on that. Would suck if you got fired on your first day." This time she felt too overwhelmed to respond and left hurriedly. But then she felt bad and didn't want to be rude. 

"Oh and-" the second she turned around she nearly bumped into his chest. "Um thanks." She didn't wait for him to respond before scurrying off to her desk. Once there, she sighed, putting her head down in order to calm herself and sort through all her confusing thoughts and feelings. 

This was going to be rough.


End file.
